Details from the Times Square Bomb Scare

Details from the Times Square Bomb Scare

The search is on for the man caught on surveillance video standing just feet away from the explosive-filled SUV intended to blow up in New York's Times Square.

Police want to question the balding white man who looks to be in his 40's. He was recorded peeling off his black sweatshirt, exposing a red shirt. He then walked away from the scene, and suspiciously glanced back.

There are more than 200 surveillance cameras in Times Square, and literally every angle is covered. Police are now scouring every frame of surveillance footage, trying to find the person responsible for the terrifying terror plot.

The drama unfolded in the middle of the "Crossroads of the World." The 1993 Nissan Pathfinder was parked steps away from Broadway's Great White Way, where thousands of tourists flock to shows like The Lion King.

As the hunt continues for the person of interest, heroes have emerged from the near-tragedy.

Street vendor Duane Jackson was selling handbags on Schubert Alley in New York's famed theater district when he noticed something frightening.

"There were keys in the ignition and why would somebody park right in the turning lane where the buses are? The windows were dark on the sides and on the back so we couldn't see anything, and I guess maybe two to three minutes after, the smoke started coming out of the back," Jackson tells INSIDE EDITION.

The 58-year-old Vietnam vet quickly alerted a police officer about the smoking car

Mounted officer Wayne Rhatigan was that officer. He sprang into action, beginning a massive evacuation of Times Square.

The heroic cop was rewarded for a job well done. Mayor Mike Bloomberg took him out to a swanky dinner. They dined just two blocks from where the chaos took place to show Times Square is safe once again.

INSIDE EDITION was there as vendor Duane Jackson went back to where it all happened. He was swarmed by cameras and got a rousing ovation from grateful tourists New Yorkers.

No one looked as proud as Jackson's beaming daughter, who gave her father a warm hug. It was a touching moment for the man who saved Times Square.